History and Development of 5G Network Technology

Resmi launched On a limited basis on Thursday, May 27, 2021, 5G networks are now a hot topic of conversation among smartphone users.

5G or Fifth Generation (fifth generation) is a term or term used to refer to the fifth generation as the next phase of cellular telecommunications standards beyond the 4G standard. 5G is the 5th generation of cellular networks after 1G, 2G, 3G, and also 4G.

This network was designed with the hope of delivering higher multi-Gbps peak data rates, ultra-low latency, higher reliability, massive network capacity, increased availability, and a more uniform user experience to more users.

The History of the Development of Network Generation

1G (First Generation)

The 1G network was first introduced by Nippon Telegraph and Telephone in 1979 to Tokyo residents. Then in 1984, this 1G network began to cover all of Japan, thus making Japan the first country to have 1G service nationally.

In Indonesia, this technology was first introduced in 1984. At that time, PT Telkom and PT Rajasa Hazanah Perkasa provided cellular communication services using NMT (Nordic Mobile Telephone) technology using a frequency of 450 MHz.

Despite being the first network technology at that time, 1G has not yet won a place in the hearts of many people. At that time, this network was considered to have many shortcomings, such as voice quality that was not so good, did not have roaming support, and security was not guaranteed due to the absence of encryption.

In addition, the download speed offered is also very slow and only reaches around 2,4 Kbps. At that time, Motorola was listed as the first vendor to release a commercially available 1G phone in 1983. The phone was named DynaTAC.

2G (Second Generation)

Entering the 1990s, 2G networks began to appear in the world. This network comes in line with the launch of the Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) in Finland in 1991. Thanks to the presence of this network, for the first time, cellular users can not only make calls but can also send text messages (SMS) to others. At that time, multimedia messaging (MMS) was also present as a new form of communication.

This network technology then underwent changes for some time to 2,5G or known as General Packet Radio Service (GPRS), and 2,75G or EDGE (Enhanced Data rates for Global Evolution), where the maximum speed reached 473 Kbps.

In Indonesia itself, this network is estimated to be available in 1993 along with the marking of a digital cellular pilot project with the GSM standard by Telkomsel who was then named Telkomsel GSM, on Batam Island. In 1994, PT Satellite Palapa Indonesia (Satelindo) became the first GSM operator to use a SIM card, followed by Telkomsel in 1995, and PT Excelcomindo Pratama in 1996.

3G (Third Generation)

In 2001, NTT Docomo became the first operator to launch 3G network technology. This network technology focuses on standardizing vendor network protocols. When compared to the previous generation, namely 2G, 3G is able to provide a good video streaming and video calling experience.

In addition, email also at that time became another standard form of communication that can be used via mobile devices. This is because 3G has the ability to transfer data up to 4 times which reaches an average of 2 Mbps.

3G network technology was first introduced in Indonesia in 2005. One year later, Telkomsel became the first operator to roll out a 3G network commercially. The emergence of 3G network technology also triggered the era of the birth of smartphones at that time. There were 2 big names that gave birth to revolutionary cellphones at that time, namely Blackberry and Apple.

4G (Fourth Generation)

Towards the end of 2009, for the first time the term 4G was introduced for commercial use in Stockholm, Sweden and Oslo, Norway. With a minimum speed of 12,5 Mbps, this network offers high-quality streaming or video chat, fast mobile web access, HD-quality video, and online gaming.

This makes 4G considered capable of bringing expansion of cellular network capacity for faster internet or broadband.

In its development, this network continues to experience updates, the first update made is 4G LTE (Long Term Evolution). 4G LTE comes as a result of architectural simplification as well as a complete redesign of 3G networks. Because it has a minimum speed of 100 Mbps, this network is capable of producing a significant reduction in transfer latency and can increase the efficiency and speed of the network.

After the update, 4G LTE was updated again by bringing up 4G LTE Advanced or better known as 4G +. It can penetrate up to 1Gbps speeds, making this network faster, more stable, and has higher bandwidth availability than regular LTE.

The new 4G LTE technology was launched commercially in Indonesia at the end of 2014. At that time, Telkomsel became the first cellular operator to apply the 4G LTE mobile network in Indonesia. However, for 4G LTE Advanced technology, Smartfren is the first operator to run it.

5G (Fifth Generation)

Quoted from the page detik.com, South Korea became the first country to offer 5G network technology in March 2019. This network was launched by KT, LG Uplus, and SK Telecom. This network technology is here to provide data speeds of 10 to 100 times faster than 4G networks that we generally still use today.

In Indonesia, Telkomsel became the first mobile operator to provide 5G network services. Through the event entitled "Unlock the Future" which was held at Telkomsel Smart Office, Telkom Hub, Jakarta. Telkomsel officially introduced the 5G network on Thursday, 27 May 2021. The inauguration was also attended by the Minister of Communication and Information, Johnny Plate.

Although it has been officially announced, not all regions in Indonesia can use this network service. Only a few cities in the Greater Jakarta area can enjoy 5G signals Telkomsel, namely Kelapa Gading and Pantai Indah Kapuk in North Jakarta, Pondok Indah and Widya Chandra, in South Jakarta, and Bumi Serpong Damai and Alam Sutera in South Tangerang.

Citing the Kompas.com page, in addition to the 6 regions, the 5G network Telkomsel can also be accessed at the Bandung Institute of Technology, Telkom University, West Java, and Telkomsel SmartOffice, Jakarta.

Advantages of 5G 

Faster Internet Connection

According to a number of circulating data, the speed of the 5G network has increased up to 100x compared to the 4G network, which is up to 10Gbps. With this speed boost, you can download a two-hour movie in less than 10 seconds.

This is possible because most 5G networks are built on super high frequency airwaves, also known as high band spectrum.

Capacity Building

Too many devices trying to use the network in one place make the internet network we use slow. The network infrastructure cannot cope with the large number of devices causing slower data rates and longer lag times for downloads.

However, with the presence of 5G network technology, it is hoped that this problem can be solved. 5G technology networks are expected to have a much larger capacity than 4G.

Lower Latency

Latency is the time lag required in delivering data from the sender to the receiver or device. The higher the lag time, the slower the response given by the receiver to the commands sent.

The 5G network is said to have 10 times lower latency or data service access time than 4G, which is 1ms. For many sectors of work, business as well as gamers, this network technology will be useful for them to enjoy high speed and minimal lag perfect for virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) applications with seamless connection.

Benefits of 5G Network in Indonesia

• 5G networks can help urban planning with mixed reality technology.
• The 5G connection allows users to download and upload videos at high speeds and maximize video calls.
• Allows users to view video content up to 4K resolution without being interrupted.
• It allows gamers to send control input to the server, which then processes the action, renders it, and then sends the result as a compressed display stream back to our device using Cloud Gaming.
• Because 5G's coverage is wider than WiFi, business people can use this connection to monitor the mobilization of goods in warehouses or factories.
• Through the 5G network, it can speed up scanning of objects such as vehicle license plates on the road or facial recognition with HD image quality.
• Can control drones that are useful in various sectors of work, such as agriculture, mapping, to the military.

To be able to activate the 5G network, you can read about it in the following article: How to Activate 5G Network Telkomsel.

Reference:

• Wikipedia
• Business
• CNN
• Telkomsel